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ARS Home » Southeast Area » Tifton, Georgia » Southeast Watershed Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #306573
Title: Riparian buffer transpiration and watershed scale impacts

Author
item Bosch, David - Dave
item MARSHALL, LAURA K - Ohio Environmental Protection Agency
item TESKEY, ROBERT - University Of Georgia

Submitted to: American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 6/1/2014
Publication Date: 7/13/2014
Citation: Bosch, D.D., Marshall, L., Teskey, R. 2014. Riparian buffer transpiration and watershed scale impacts. [Abstract] American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers, July 13-17, 2014, Montreal, Canada .

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Forested riparian buffers are prevalent throughout the Southeastern Coastal Plain Region of the United States (US). Because they make up a significant portion of the regional landscape, transpiration within these riparian buffers is believed to have an important impact on the hydrologic budget of regional watersheds. A riparian buffer along a first order stream in South-central Georgia US was selected for a sap flow study designed to provide measurements of tree transpiration. The forest provided a buffer zone that averaged 70 m in width from an upland field to the first order stream. Sap flux density, groundwater, and climatic data were collected to determine transpiration rates from different tree species and their relationship to potential ET rates and hydrologic and environmental conditions. Average sap flow rates ranged from 2 to 142 L day-1. Sap flow was related to tree diameter, solar flux density, and daily vapor pressure deficit. On an area basis, the average transpiration for the studied 720 m2 study area was 1114 mm for the observation period from April to December. This represented 103% of the potential evapotranspiration for a reference grass (PET) for that same period. The data indicate that transpiration within regional buffers uses a disproportionate amount of water on a per area basis compared to upland land covers, an important consideration when examining overall water consumption in regional watersheds.